


He knows...

by Memessavedme



Series: Edit companion one shots [3]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Billy Hargrove Needs a Hug, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Injury, M/M, Neil Hargrove Being an Asshole, Protective Steve Harrington
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:20:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26655775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Memessavedme/pseuds/Memessavedme
Summary: Neil knows about Billy's relationship and what he does when he finds out leaves Steve wanting to end him once and for all
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington
Series: Edit companion one shots [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1938028
Comments: 2
Kudos: 94





	He knows...

The sound of the front door slamming shut ran through Billy like a shot of adrenaline, his body telling him to get out of there. Fight or flight kicking in as the loud footsteps approached his room and his door swung open, hitting the wall and sending a tapped up poster sliding down to the floor to reveal a half drunk but very pissed Neil. His entire demeanor becoming even angrier once he set eyes on his son. He stormed towards him, grabbing him by the collar with such force he stumbled back into the shelves.

Billy had only ever seen his eyes like that once, the time he thought he might actually kill him. That’s when he knew what had caused this, why he was being held against the hard wooden planks with his father’s hands keeping him there.

“Who is this Steve Harrington? Huh?” He asked and Billy froze. Froze at the fact he knew his name, he wasn’t just some boy anymore. No, he was a person to Neil. A person he could hurt and ruin. “I thought we…talked about this.”

“He’s a guy at my school-.”

“Don’t lie to me! You know what happens when you lie,” That was when Susan appeared in the doorway to watch as she always did. To try and do something only to fall under his anger herself. “You’ve been seen…touching this boy all over town.”

For a moment he bargained with if he should argue, mainly to protect Steve from being outed or targeted. Except, he had done this before. Tried to cover the fact he was seen under the peer back in San Diego, hand down a surfers shorts and his lips running along his neck. Said it wasn’t him, that whoever told him must have mistaken him for someone else. That was until he realised it was Max who saw them, Max who let it slip not knowing any better.

So, he stood there silently as his secret began to pour out from his eyes alone. “So, it’s true. You don’t learn do you boy?”

“No, sir,” Billy subdued.

“Not even after teaching you a lesson last time?” He sighed and looked away, shaking his head only to tighten his grip and push Billy harder against the shelves. “No running off to that other faggot’s house. You will not climb out of that God damn window after this. You hear me?”

“Yes, sir.”

Billy was too tired of fighting back only to lose everytime. His mind freezing his body the second he felt even the slightest pain, a shock response that resulted in nothing more than a scared boy curled in a ball until he knew it was safe to move. To crawl into bed and cry himself into the morning.

He watched as his father smiled, nodded his head and then…sent his fist into his stomach. Which would have sent him to his knees but he was still being held up by much stronger hands. “I said I won’t!” Billy couldn’t help it.

“I don’t believe a thing that comes out of that nancy mouth of yours”, Another hit and then another. It was then that he felt his body fall, his knees hit the ground and his arms finally wrap around his waist as the pain set in.

Except, he wasn’t given a chance to feel it because then a boot was swinging straight towards his chest, sending him backwards against the bookcase again. His head smacking against one of the shelves, causing the room to blur momentarily as he instinctively tried to block the next kick with his hands. Only to feel it hit his thigh.

It all blurred together after that, just as it always did but this time it never seemed to stop. His body was aching, bruising and most definitely fractured but his face was left untouched. No evidence to be seen, no questions to be asked but his body told another story.

When the nausea kicked in he heard his bedroom door slam and the lights go out. Not that he could move, even stand to get into bed or take off his jacket. His chest hurt to breathe, ached as the sobs began and the tears rolled over his nose and onto the floor. There was still light coming from outside as he lay there curled in on himself until the pain took over and he blacked out.

The morning sun woke him, his eyes rejecting the light as his body rejected movement. Yet, he knew he needed to get up and drop Max off at school. Even if he would be skipping to nap in his car. He knew he needed to tell Steve that people might know, that they might be in more trouble than they had ever imagined.

His door creeked open and he looked to see Max standing with her backpack on and her skateboard under her arm. “I’ll walk.”

“No. Just give me a second,” Billy groaned and finally sat up, his head spinning. “Go wait in the car.”

She stood there, clearly wanting to protest but she didn’t. The door closed quietly and Billy used an empty box to get to his feet, an action that only intensified the ache of his muscles. Muscles that had spent the night in the same possible on a drafty floor after taking hit after hit for…Billy didn’t know how long he had lay there being beaten and he didn’t want to know.

He looked at his watch, still enough time to get to school and tell Steve before class. Warn him at least. Just enough time if he didn’t get changed or clean himself up, so he grabbed his sunglasses to hide his puffy under eyes from the crying, buttoned up his shirt to hide the bruising and made his way to the front door. Thankfully Neil had already left for work so he wouldn’t tell him to stop with the limp.

Billy struggled to the car and dropped into the drivers seat, forcing his legs to do what they were trained to do and pulled out of the driveway. Making sure to concentrate on the road as he took his time towards the school. Max didn’t speak, didn’t ask because she knew the answer. The bell was ringing when they pulled up, she jumped out with a quiet _thanks_ and ran for the entrance.

The Beamer was there but Steve wasn’t around so he didn’t bother to get out of the car, he instead turned off the engine and sunk down into his seat to finally relax. Let his body release the tension from hours of being on edge, fully aware of his surroundings. Just as he felt his breathing steady someone knocked on his window and startled him right back to where he started.

“Let me in,” Steve said just loud enough for him to hear so he did. Within seconds the brunette was sitting beside him smiling like he made his day better just by existing. “Where were you?”

“He knows,” He blurted out before he could overthink it. But he couldn’t look at Steve, couldn’t face his reaction. “My dad. He knows about us.”

“And what did he do when he found out?” Steve asked, his voice firm and controlled but there was definitely anger beneath it.

“Nothing.”

“Billy, did he…” Steve went quiet.

“Look, I don’t wanna talk about it,” Billy replied to the silence.

“I’m gonna kill that bastard son of a bitch!” He smacked the dashboard and stared straight ahead. His entire body screaming that he might actually do it, that in that moment he was ready to drive straight to wherever he was and stab him until he had no hope of recovery.

And for a moment Billy believed it. The anger in his eyes as they finally met was enough to convince him that much. “I just don’t want you getting hurt.”

“Me? I know who he is and what he does to you,” Steve reached out to touch Billy’s forearm and he winced at the pressure. “Let me see.”

“Steve-.”

“Let me see!” He didn’t wait for a reply, instead he reached for his jacket and pulled open his shirt to see the dark blues and purple covering his chest and ribs. “Holy shit…”

Billy didn’t have a reply to that because his reaction was warranted. He knew that more than anyone as he looked down at his own body, damaged and trying its best to heal. “Do you think Joyce will have a look because I think it’s real bad?”

“Yeah, of course,” Steve snapped back and looked at Billy with such care and worry for a moment the pain faded, but only for a second. “Get in my car so people will think you’re here.”

He let Steve help him out the Camaro and into his car. Let him take his hand as they headed for the General store where the only adult they could trust would be able to help. Do something because anything would be better than going to Hopper or the hospital and explaining why he could barely breathe without wanting to cry.

Why he thought his own father was going to kill him and that in all honesty he still might, even if it did finally send him to prison. Billy knew he would rather rot in a cell than have his only son seen holding hands with another man, a fact that made his fingers grip to Steve’s for any chance at life. Even if it was slowly dimming with every day. Steve was there to help brighten it again.


End file.
